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Our thoughts, prayers and love go out to all the family and friends of the 11 sacred lives taken so ruthlessly at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

What occurred at the Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, 2018 is an expression of hatred in its most violent form. These unspeakable acts must stop. We must all stand up to and speak out against anti-Semitism, and against prejudice and discrimination.

Now more than ever, we must uphold our shared values of humanity, dignity, equality, hope and peace. Let us honour the courage of those whose lives were taken by being the purveyors of love.

These initiatives and services also help us work towards achieving funding stability, so that we may expand our programs and organize more large-scale community events like the Walk for Reconciliation.

Please click below to make a donation to help us deliver our work, move reconciliation forward, and create lasting change.

June is National Indigenous History Month – a recognition and celebration of the richness of First Nations, Inuit and Métis heritage, cultures and achievements. It is a great opportunity to learn more about Indigenous cultures and histories as we continue to find a new way forward together.

National Indigenous Peoples Day is on the 21st of this month – a date that was chosen as it coincides with the summer solstice, which holds great significance in Indigenous cultures.

In addition to the events listed in our May 2018 newsletter, here are more events and gatherings taking place this National Indigenous History Month. If you know of more reconciliation-focused events happening this June that are not on the list, please e-mail us at communications@reconciliationcanada.ca.

Reconciliation Canada honours the memory of the six courageous Tsilhqot’in Chiefs exonerated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons yesterday, March 26, 2018.

These courageous Chiefs were wrongfully hanged some 150 years ago for defending their homelands from encroachment. Amid what is referred to as the Tsilhqot’in War, these Chiefs acted in what they believed to be a defense of their territories and sovereignty.

The colonial authorities acknowledged this by extending an invitation to the Chiefs to engage in peace talks. The Chiefs agreed to the peace talks, but were instead imprisoned, tried and hanged.

History has a way of baring the truth and, thus, the exoneration. These acts can become pillars and foundations for discovering peace, harmony and reconciliation. The exoneration holds huge promise for our pluralistic society.

We urge all Canadians to learn more about our shared history and about each other.

The Tsilhqot’in are open to new ways forward with all Canadians. The recent Surpeme Court of Canada decision granting them 1,700 square kilometers of land only emboldens their desire to create new relationships through a lens of Reconciliation based on mutual respect and trust.

Today is International Women’s Day. Reconciliation Canada strongly believes that the role of women in reconciliation is a key to success. So on this day and everyday, we ask you to join us in holding our hands up to all the women in our lives. We ask you to join us in honouring their worth and valuable contributions to society. We hold the hope that through reconciliation, all of our mothers, daughters and sisters will be able to experience a new reality where they are honoured, valued and treated as equals.

Women are truly integral to the reconciliation movement; this will continue to guide and be embedded in all our initiatives. Stay tuned for announcements throughout the year to see how you can get involved.

Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by the recent attacks in Edmonton and in Las Vegas. We are deeply saddened to hear about these devastating acts of violence.

We send you all our love, and would like to express our sincerest condolences to the families, friends and members of the community.

We at Reconciliation Canada stand united with all the people who continue to uphold and work towards inclusiveness and peace. We stand with all of you, especially during these challenging times.

It is time for reconciliation and for healing within ourselves, our societies and the rest of the world. We all have a role to play in the reconciliation process. Our collective future depends on our present actions.

Now is the time to live out our shared values together and be guided by the vision of a peaceful, united community.

Thank you for all your inquiries about the Walk for Reconciliation this year, and for all your support during previous Walks.

Unfortunately, Reconciliation Canada does not have a Walk for Reconciliation scheduled in 2018.

We are currently focused on achieving core funding stability in order to be able to continue our work, develop new initiatives and offer large-scale events like the Walk for Reconciliation in the future.

At present, we are able to offer our Reconciliation Dialogue Workshops, Lunch and Learns, and speaking engagements. Click here to learn more about our ongoing programs and initiatives.

Click here to make a donation to help us deliver our work and create lasting change.

Thank you for your support and continued commitment to reconciliation!

Fifty thousand people gathered at the 2017 Vancouver Walk for Reconciliation, in the spirit of “We are all one”

On Sunday September 24, 2017, 50,000 people of all backgrounds gathered downtown Vancouver to take a step on the road to reconciliation. Participants gathered on Georgia Street from Seymour to Cambie and adjacent streets. The procession went over the viaduct and ended at Strathcona Park.

Born from the vision of Chief Robert Joseph, Ambassador of Reconciliation Canada, the walk was a call to action, inspiring all Canadians and Indigenous Peoples across Canada to make a shared commitment towards reconciliation and revitalized relationships among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians.

The crowds began gathering outside of Queen Elizabeth Theatre at 9:00am. We could feel the excitement in the crowd as people from all backgrounds, faiths, cultures and ages filled the streets of Cambie and Georgia.

At 10:30am, Walk participants began to gather at Strathcona Park for the Reconciliation Expo. We were blown away by the turnout at the Expo. Individuals engaged with different community organizations, local artisans and had the chance to participate in various experiential activities—all of which were a huge success!

We heard from many people that the Lacrosse drills, the Kairos Blanket Exercise, the Mural Festival, the Commitment Wall, the Witness Blanket and Site Unseen Exhibit allowed them to learn more about Indigenous culture and history in Canada.

We were so grateful to have 343 volunteers present along the Walk and at the Expo. Their smiling faces and helpful attitudes ensured the success of the event. Our volunteers went above and beyond in helping with everything from organizing the event, to posting on social media, to assisting participants, and so many more activities. We could not have done this without you.

We would like to thank our co-host, partners, supporters and friends for their tremendous help in making the Walk for Reconciliation and Reconciliation Expo a success. The Walk for Reconciliation and Reconciliation Expo would not have been possible without the tremendous support from the Government of Canada. We are so proud to have been able to deliver this event as part of a Canada 150 Signature Project: Reconciliation in Action: A National Engagement Strategy.

We are enormously grateful for the commitment of the City of Vancouver who co-hosted this event. To have been one of three Canada 150+ Signature Events is incredibly meaningful. We also extend our gratitude to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for their genorsity and guidance.

To our sponsors, we thank you for your generosity in supporting this event.

To our Capacity Partners – without you we would not be able to do this work. Your commitment to reconciliation is inspiring, and we are honoured to have the opportunity to work along you in this important work.

Brooke Fairley

“To me reconciliation means giving respect to the first people and honouring the teachings of the land that we are so blessed to live on. I grew up on the land of the Squamish Nation and I have made so many friends and learned so many lessons from the Squamish People that I carry with me. More recently, I began working with a Squamish Nation elder. She always says “culture is our medicine.” That’s something that has really stuck with me. Through learning about her culture, traditions and teachings, I have really seen how culture is medicine. That’s where the healing comes from—resurging the teachings and the old ways.

I understand that we always see things through the lens of our own culture and our own lives. I am a white, fourth generation settler so I always see things through my mainstream, dominant, privileged lens. I have learned so much from her to expand my own thinking and I recognize that I have been so honoured to work under her teachings. She has further abled me to understand my role as a settler, my role as a mother, my role as a human being and as a spirit on this earth.

To learn how to understand others, how to live with people, how to live with our land, and how to respect one another— that’s really what its all about. That’s what reconciliation means to me.”

The Why We Walk campaign asks individuals to share their story and personal connection to the reconciliation movement. Stories will be shared in the weeks leading up to the Walk for Reconciliation on September 24th, 2017.

We believe that every person has a story to tell and that by sharing these stories, people may feel a more personal connection to the reconciliation movement.

We are excited to announce that National Chief Perry Bellegarde will be the keynote speaker the Reconciliation Expo! Perry Bellegarde was elected as the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations on December 10, 2014. Previously elected as Councillor and then Chief of Little Black Bear First Nation, Treaty 4 Territory, he also served as Tribal Chair of the Touchwood-File Hills-Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, and as Chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) and Saskatchewan Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations.

National Chief Bellegarde is a strong advocate for the implementation of Inherent Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. He has made presentations at the national and international levels in many forums, including the United Nations Committee for Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and various United Nations bodies on the subject of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

We are honoured that National Chief Perry Bellegarde will be joining us on September 24!

Sphenia Jones

“I went to residential school in the late 1950s. I was about 11 years old and I worked in the infirmary there. I remember that I used to steal a lot of food for the kids or the babies in the infirmary because they were so hungry. I would take whatever I could like peanut butter sandwiches or even raw potatoes. When I got caught, I had to scrub floors with a toothbrush for three or four months.

Lots of people say things like “that didn’t happen”, but it did. They say “oh, get over it,” but we have to talk about it first. I protected the kids in that school with all that I had and I have now met about four or five people who I looked after in the infirmary. They thanked me because they said they remember being so hungry and they remember somebody feeding them.

Right now I am working on a project for child abuse victims which looks at getting homes for them. Our children need at least one safe place they can go to to spend the night away from getting hurt. I’m now one of the cofounders for the Empty Stocking Fund, the Christmas Bureau and Step Up Native School. I have such empathy for the little ones’ who suffered harm in the residential schools, but I’ve come a long way.

Sometimes it’s like a dream when I think about it, but then I pray and the hurt feeling goes away. Forgiveness is one of the hardest things we can do. I had a really hard time forgiving the ones that abused me, but I had to do that to get on with my life. I was anchored there and I was getting sick. When I let everything go, I started getting better.

So what does reconciliation mean to me? It means looking after the little ones which is the biggest hope I have for the future, and it means healing as our souls come together as one.”

The Why We Walk campaign asks individuals to share their story and personal connection to the reconciliation movement. Stories will be shared in the weeks leading up to the Walk for Reconciliation on September 24th, 2017.

We believe that every person has a story to tell and that by sharing these stories, people may feel a more personal connection to the reconciliation movement.